Monday, July 2, 2012

Making Marriage Work (Part 2)

Genesis 2:18 "And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him help meet for."


God was moving to meet the problem of Adam's loneliness.  Even in paradise Adam was lonely.  He was the king of creation, yet something was lacking.  The perfection of Eden could not satisfy the void within.  In all of creation, only one thing was not good.  It was not good for Adam to be alone.


God created a "helper" for Adam.  Not someone who sweeps the floor, makes the beds, prepares the meals and in general does the housework while the man of the house sits in his soft recliner with the remote control in his hand flipping from one channel to another.  


That's not what the word means.  In the Old Testament this particular Hebrew word was often used of God himself (Psalms 46:1).  A "helper" in this context means one who supplies what  is lacking in another person.  God created Eve to do what Adam could not do by himself.


Beverly is definitely this for me...she completes whats lacking in me.  This is how God created us to be together.


Reading further in Genesis 2 God has Adam to name the animals. Why?  I think he was preparing Adam for marriage.  He is teaching him to be a leader.  The power to name is the power of AUTHORITY.  By giving Adam the right to name the animals, God was training him to be the king of his earthly creation.


God was also training him to be a lover.  Adam looked at the animals and saw that everyone had a mate except him.  God created a hunger inside of Adam for a LIFE PARTNER.  Perhaps we could call Adam's "naming of the animals" as his premarital counseling session.


On the sixth day of creation, Adam named the animals.  but "no suitable helper was found."  Unless the need were met, Adam would live forever and still be lonely in paradise.
  • Without a woman, a man could never be in love.
  • Without a wife, he could never be a husband.
  • Without a queen, he could never be a king.
Adam had no one to talk to, no one to laugh with, no one to taste fresh fruit with him, to run through the meadows by his side, to laugh at his jokes, and no one to nestle with him in the evening.

The answer to the loneliness every man feels is one woman - given by God - with whom he can spend the rest of his days.  That is the most basic purpose of marriage.